Floating screed: installation technology and reviews

The technology of the floating screed is associated with heat, hydro and sound insulation. Its essence is that a monolithic plate based on cement and sand is not supported on the ground, slabs or any other solid base, but on a soft gasket. As a layer, it can be:

• Basalt wool ;
• Polystyrene foam;
• Expanded clay.

Scope of use

The concrete surface does not interact with pipes or walls. The construction is separated by a damping gasket or gap. Floating screed acts as a mandatory attribute of the sexes:

• Terraces;
• bathroom;
• Verandas.

Quite often, this technology of laying the floor is used on the first floors of private houses. Floating systems are also relevant for those rooms where it is planned to connect a warm floor. The advantage of this screed is the ability to suppress vibration, shock and sound vibrations.

The concrete layer will be separated from the structural elements of the building. In this case, the internal energy will be distributed between the floor elements, not being transferred to the building structures. Restrictions on carrying out such work are high loads. Their permissible value reaches 0.2 tons per square meter. If it is a question of household premises, then this tolerance is quite large. For example, in the bathroom, the maximum force is one quarter of the limit parameters.

The need to use an independent screed

Floating screed fits with the main purpose, which is that the dampness does not spread capillary, because if it happens inside the building wall, it will negatively affect the longevity of materials. The soundproofing effect is concomitant, however, in some cases the described kind of screed is installed in order to give the room sound-absorbing characteristics.

Floating screed is carried out in those buildings that are fully installed, equipped with utilities and plastered. A good example is the bathroom, which is suitable for all parameters, because it maintains a relatively high local temperature.

All systems of this room are subject to humidity overload, here include floors, ceiling and walls. In the bathroom are concentrated communications on the type of pipes, electrical wiring and channels. This room has special requirements, which are expressed in soundproofing, waterproofing, and mechanical loads.

Reviews of the floating screed

Floating screed is a rigidly fixed to each other panels or a monolithic slab, which is laid on the ground or a soundproof base. The role of noise-absorbing materials is usually:

• Expanded clay;
• Foamed plastic;
• OSB.

To limit the spread of moisture, as the users emphasize, the screed is covered with a layer of waterproofing. Additional qualities of noise insulation can be provided by air gaps. According to the owners of real estate, they should be located between the slabs and floors, as well as between walls, heating pipes and the floor.

If you are installing a floating floor screed, then you should know that it can be wet or dry. In the first case, it is a question of using a cement-sand mixture, with which a concrete surface is created. Such structures are usually located in household premises of economic purpose or industrial buildings. Concrete at the same time acquires the ability to undergo high loads. This term means not only the types of loads, but also their parameters.

For example, in premises that are operated in conditions with high humidity, it is best to equip concrete floors. But they have certain shortcomings, expressed in the possibility of detachment and complexity of technology. If the coupler is laid incorrectly, then it will "ring." According to home-based craftsmen, the dry screed differs from wet due to the fact that the cement-chipboard, or gypsum-fiber panels, is placed on the heat-insulating layer instead of the concrete monolith. They have a technological advantage. According to consumers, it consists in the fact that the sheets are specially designed for dry screeds, for this purpose a mounting lock is provided in them.

Dry floating floor screed, according to consumers, has another important advantage, it is expressed in functionality. OSP or GWP is a monolith that is not subject to destruction. If you arrange a dry screed, then eventually it will not exfoliate and "bay".

Preparatory work

The device of a floating screed provides preparation and marking. On the perimeter of the wall at different heights, it is necessary to draw two lines, the first of which will indicate the level at which the floating floor is to be laid. The second line is the mark of the waterproofing layer. As the most appropriate level in the bathroom, the height of the door threshold will be made taking into account the thickness of the tile.

The surface of the floor is washed several times and dried well. If the base is improperly prepared, the material will peel off during operation. In places where sewerage and heating pipes pass through the floors, it is necessary to make restraints for the concrete mix, they are made of strips of ruberoid and will serve as the edges. These edges should be formed in the form of rings, and they should be secured around the pipes, stepping away from the walls 11 cm. The pipes are prewound with a tape of foamed polymer.

Specialist's recommendation

Floating floor screed, the technology of laying which is described in the article, can be arranged even at the stage when the room does not have communications. In this case, the floors must be laid out by marking the places of the pipes. They will need to be bypassed, and the minimum width of the strips should be such that the height of the rings is higher than the edge of the laying screed.

Waterproofing works

Floating screed, the technology of laying which should be known to you before starting work, involves the implementation of waterproofing. To do this, you can use a ruberoid, which fits on a horizontal surface. On the base of the slab or the rough floor it is necessary to create a moisture-proof film. For this, bituminous mastic is usually used. Excellent fit and waterproof paint.

The first layer will be a moisture repellent paint, the second will be a waterproofing roll material. The maximum efficiency can be achieved if the roll is welded, pre-rolled it over the floor surface. Use for this purpose an industrial dryer or a gas burner, the latter of which requires an admission to work. This method can be replaced with technology, when bituminous mastic is used to fix the ruberoid, it will act as an adhesive. The composition is applied with a spatula or brush, only after it is possible to start laying the waterproofing.

Tips for the home master

Before making a floating screed, be sure to prepare the surface. For this, after laying the waterproofing, it is necessary to cover heating pipes and walls. The width of the strips for this must overlap the height of the screed. In the market you can find modern materials such as "Izoplast" and "Isoplena", which have high functional characteristics. The only disadvantage in this case is the high cost.

Soundproofing works

The surface must be checked for unevenness before laying the screed. Pits in the right places are covered with sand, which needs to be well leveled. After you can proceed with the installation of sound insulation. The following materials serve as it:

• OSB;
• Foamed polymer boards;
• Basalt wool;
• DSP;
• Extruded plastic.

When choosing a material, it must be ensured that it has the appropriate state standards of elasticity and compressibility. If the work is carried out in a domestic room, then the maximum limit of this parameter is 5 mm. These characteristics correspond to the panel CP5. The most suitable layer thickness is the limit of 30 to 50 mm. It is important to provide technological 25 mm clearances in pipes and walls when laying soundproofing plates.

The joints are filled with construction foam. Above the plates, a vapor barrier film can be laid. At the device of a multilayered covering for the decision of a problem of soundproofing more dense layers settle down from above. Next comes the turn of a polyethylene film, the thickness of which can vary between 0.1 and 0.15 mm. As its function is the separation of solution and sound insulation. With the help of this layer it is possible to exclude the formation of temperature bridges.

Pouring of concrete mixture

The most important step in carrying out the described work is the pouring of the screed. The simplest recipe for the mixture is the use of M-400 cement and sand. These ingredients should be applied in a proportion of 1 to 3. Of the total volume of the mixture, water is 1/50 part.

You should be aware of the thickness of the floating screed. Its minimum value is 50 mm. If you used modifying polymer additives when closing the concrete mix, the thickness can be reduced to 35 mm. As an additional element, which performs the role of strengthening the screed, there is a polymer or steel mesh. Reinforcing material is not used in compliance with European standards, but traditional technologies suggest such a necessity. This is especially true for the screed, which is arranged on the ground.

Semi-dry screed technology

A floating semi-dry screed involves the use of a special solution, which consists of sand, cement and propylene fiber. The proportion is as follows:

• 1 part of fiber;
• 3 parts of sand;
• 1 part of cement.

First you need to work on making a dry composition, mix it to a homogeneous state, and then add water. If it is planned to equip a thick screed, then it should be supplemented by reinforcement in the form of a metal mesh. The semi-dry mixture must be distributed between the beacons and aligned with the rule. With the help of this composition, the entire area is filled, which afterwards can be gradually leveled. To strengthen the screed when trowelling, the topping method is used.

Dry screed

Dry floating screed is convenient in that the entire area of the room with its help can be covered in one day. On the polyethylene film, a mixture for dry screed is poured out, which consists of fine-grained expanded clay. Once the floor is filled with half the thickness, you can set the beacons, by which the mixture will be leveled by the rule.

The work can be carried out by sections. Plates of gypsum fiber are laid on a flat surface, which have a lock joint. Between them they are fastened with the help of glue and additionally twisted by screws. The panels must be level-adjusted. In order to exclude the spillage of the mixture during installation, septa from graft cuttings or ordinary boards are installed in the doorways.

Conclusion

The minimum thickness of the floating screed was mentioned above. But this requirement is not the only one that should be observed when constructing a floor. If in time you still heard that the material "buns" in places where it adjoins the heating system, then this can be caused by vibrations and temperature changes. Such a coating can be repaired, after cutting out a piece of coating. Then it is well cleaned and again filled with concrete solution.